Georgia Lions Lighthouse Awarded >$150,000 in Foundation Grant Funds

ATLANTA - May 29, 2018 - PRLog -- Leaders at the Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation ("The Lighthouse") announced today that it is the recipient of a combined $152,600 in grant funds from the R. Howard Dobbs, Jr., Foundation, and the Friedman Family Philanthropic Fund of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta.

In late April, The Lighthouse was notified that the Dobbs Foundation approved a grant of $100,000 to support the purchase of two new lens edgers. Optical edgers are used to cut lenses to match the size and shape of eyeglass frames. The Lighthouse's current edgers, which cut an estimated 12,400 lenses per year, have been in service for more than seven years and are rapidly nearing the end of their lifespan.

Dobbs Foundation President David D. Weitnauer said, "We are pleased to award this grant to the Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation in support of the purchase of two new edgers and look forward to following The Lighthouse's continued progress."

Purchase and installation of the new edgers is planned for this summer.

Additionally, in support of The Lighthouse's plans to open a satellite office in Savannah, the Friedman Family Philanthropic Fund of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta last month agreed to award $52,600 in challenge-grant monies, with the understanding that funds will be awarded upon the Lighthouse's successful fundraising of the additional $100,000 required for a year of clinic operations.

Noah Levine, a spokesperson for the Friedman family, expressed enthusiasm for The Lighthouse's expansion and said, "We're very excited at the prospect of a permanent Lighthouse office in Savannah, where the need for affordable vision care is great."

The Savannah office is expected to be fully staffed and functional by January 1, 2019.

"Thanks to the generosity of the Dobbs Foundation and the Friedman Family Philanthropic Fund of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, The Lighthouse will have the means both to replace mission-critical equipment and establish a permanent presence in Savannah by 2019," said Lighthouse Executive Director David M. Paule. "We are deeply grateful for their support and take very seriously our responsibility both as stewards of these funds and as servants to Georgians in need."

The Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation provides vision and hearing services to low-income, uninsured, and other underserved populations in the state of Georgia through education, detection, prevention, and treatment. Through collaborative partnerships, we enable greater independence and increased quality of life for Georgians in financial need.